Former FSUE director at Spetsstroi is accused of abuse of authority

The Moscow City Court found that Mr. Nikitin is a "prospective" suspect, who can not be released for house arrest. Now he is accused of abuse of office and damage to 665 million rubles in the construction of the spaceport "Vostochny".

The Moscow City Court refused to release from the jail the person involved in a large-scale investigation into large-scale embezzlement during the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome, the former head of FSUE "Spetsstroytehnologii" under the Spetsstroy of Russia Alexander Nikitin. He is accused of abuse of authority in the construction of storage facilities for rocket fuel. Headed by Mr. Nikitin, the company, according to the investigation, transferred the contractor company almost 1 billion rubles., But all the facilities were not built within the allotted time. Investigators of the TFR, who initiated a criminal case after the FSB's inspection, assess the damage caused to more than 665 million rubles. At the same time, to Mr. Nikitin, soon the investigation may have new claims related to abuse in the construction of residential buildings for the staff of the East.

With a complaint against the decision of the Basmanny Court that concluded Alexander Nikitin's arrest in April of this year, the Moscow City Court's appeal court was approached by the lawyer of the investigative Elena Markemianova. She insisted that there was no evidence in the case file of the guilt of the ex-head of "Spetsstroytehnologii" in the alleged misuse of his official powers, which entailed grave consequences (Part 3, Article 285 of the Criminal Code). In this regard, the lawyer asked to change the measure of restraint - from arrest to any other, not related to detention. However, the Moscow City Court found that the arrest in this case is justified.

As reported by "Kommersant", Alexander Nikitin was detained in April of this year in his Moscow apartment by investigators of the State Security Service of the Kyrgyz Republic within the framework of the criminal case initiated a month earlier on large-scale embezzlement and financial abuses during the construction of the Vostochny cosmodrome. FSUE "Spetsstroytehnologii" as one of the enterprises of Spetstroy was entrusted with the erection of several storage facilities for rocket fuel components (MCT). These include the substances RG-1 (naphthyl), T-1 (kerosene), nitric tetraoxide (AT, amyl), asymmetric dimethylhydrazine (NDMH, hydrazine), etc. It was assumed that the complex will include five structures, including facilities for storage of high-boiling MCT of various classes, warehouses for finding and preparing hydrogen peroxide, laboratories, checkpoints, guard rooms, fire station and even laundry facilities for washing special outfits for employees. The tender for the work, the total value of which was estimated at several billion rubles, FSUE "Spetsstroytehnologii" announced in early 2015. As a result, one of the main contractors was LLC "Management of Building Mechanization", which also participated in other contracts for the construction of special facilities. In total, the company transferred to more than 700 million rubles in various tranches. However, as it turned out, some of the objects were either partially built or not built at all. In connection with the "violation of the deadline for completion of work" in May last year, representatives of "Spetsstroitehnologii" canceled the contract with the contractor unilaterally. It is worth noting that by this time the Spetsstroy of Russia was abolished, and most of its powers were transferred to the Ministry of Defense. The successor of "Spetsstroytehnologii" became the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "The Main Military Construction Department for Special Objects". The enterprise appealed to the court with a demand to collect about 777 million rubles from the "Mechanization for Construction", which included untapped advances, illegal enrichment, interest for the use of others' funds, etc. In January of this year the claim was almost in full satisfied with the Moscow Arbitration Court.

In parallel with the arbitration proceedings, as reported by Kommersant, the FSB conducted its own verification. Her materials were transferred to the TFR. According to some sources, while operatives and investigators did not find in the activities of Alexander Nikitin a direct self-interest, and therefore, corruption is not discussed. The investigation is interested in why the head of FSUE "Spetsstroytehnologii" ordered the budget funds allocated to his enterprise, that this resulted in damage of hundreds of millions of rubles. Meanwhile, according to some reports, the defense of Mr. Nikitin insists that the history with construction should not become a basis for criminal investigation, since it belongs to the sphere of financial and economic relations between commercial structures.

Meanwhile, according to sources, "b", in the investigation against Mr. Nikitin, new episodes may arise, related to the construction of apartment buildings on the territory of the Vostochny cosmodrome. A criminal case has already been instituted on the theft of budget funds allocated for the construction of 36 houses for the staff of the cosmodrome, as well as a kindergarten and a boiler house. According to law enforcers, to date, only the boiler room and kindergarten have been fully implemented, in addition, four houses have been commissioned. The rest are at different stages of construction, although all should have been built last year.

As he told Kommersant, and. about. head of FSUE "Spetsstroytehnologii" Alexander Nikitin became in 2016, shortly before the dissolution of Spetsstroy. And his appointment took place against the backdrop of another scandal in the FSUE - his predecessor, Vladimir Shamailov, was charged with commercial bribery (Article 204 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). It is interesting that by this time Mr. Shamailov was already accused in another case - abuse of official powers during his previous service in the Ministry of Emergency Situations. For financial violations in the construction of a fire station in the village of Spassky in the Ivanovo region, he received in late 2016 4.5 years of a colony of general regime.